The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-10
THE NEW TEMPERANCE UNION.
Proceedings of the First State Convention
Addresses on Temperance Reform.

Addresses on temperance Reform.
The State Temperance Union, the now tenn |
perance organization, began its first meeting in |
Meridian street NJ. e. Church yesterday morn |
ing. The attendance at the morning and after
noon sessions numbered fifty sixty persons
Rev. j. E. Gilbert presided over the convention
| and devotional exercises condu1sed by Rev.
A. W. Lamport. The origin of the movement
was explained in brief address by Rev. II. S.
Hess He, with Others recognizing the neces-
sity of united action on the part of temperance
people, met at Noblesville on the 18th
of last December and discussed the outlook At
a subsequent meeting on the 28th of that month
a declaration of principles and constitution
| were adopted and numerously signed, and circu
| lars were issued calling for the present meeting
| to perfect the organization and determine upon
| a plan of work They recognized the fact that
| the divided condition of the temperance people
was the chief obstacle in the way of the progress
OF the reform, and this they desired to remove if
possible. They did not propose to antagonize
| any of the existing temperance societies. all of
| which we're doing a noble work, but they wanted
| to secure cooperation among them with a
view of educating public sentiment the sub
| ject, with a view of ultimately obtaining the
total prohibition of the traffic. but in the II can
time to the rigid enforcement of the
| restrictive laws
| The afternoon session was called to order by
| Rev. Dr. Gilbert, and opened with prayer by
| Rev. Mr. Ogden
| Rev Il. A. Goodwin. editor of the Central
| Christian Advocate, smoke on THE History of
| Temperance Reform In conclusion he said:
| Let US not be RASH Let us not despise those
| who do not fully indorse our declaration. Many
| who are now the most jealous Prohibitionists
| posed as the cham pions of moral suasion only,
| hurting many epithets of disapproval at the
| old guard who insisted or prohibition as the on
| ly remedy. AS they now hurl at the same old
| guard because they do not at once fail in line
with them as to methods. Let us be patient
| with these laggards. The history of the tenn
| perance work in America is history Of contin-
| nous successes. There have been times when
| the advancing army has fallen back. but the
| treating army of to-day has never gone into
| camp behind the breastwoiks Of yesterday. but
always in advance of them and nearer the eta
| del OF the enemy. Have we not had our camp
| followers from the beginninga Less than half
century ago DR. Thomas j.. Bond, the Nestor of
| American Metnodism at the time, and twice
| elected editor of the Christian Advocate
| defended in his paper wine drinking
| as DR.. Howard Crosby docs now, and practced
it personally. Yet he claimed to be temperate
| man, and was so taken aud accepted by the
| jority. Other Methodists whose names have
come down to US associated with the most hon
| ored positions, drank wine freely in early life,
| but reformed before their deaths. DR. Crosby
| is an earnest denouncer of the American saloon,
| though to us he has way of showing his
hatred of it. Let him live. We will dig about
| him and fertilize him. He may yet bear some
| good fruit
| ''The war is yet upon US. The enemy holds
| many strategic point and the reentlessness of
| despair cnaracterizes every movement he
| makes. When we began this was nation of
| neutrality-suspicious., and lawyers, and doc
| tors-men, women and children drank Liquor
| selling in the hands of deacons and preach
ers, little less than in the hands of the vest
class. We sought at first only to reform abuses.
An effort to do this revealed that the only thing
possible was total abstinence for the individual
and absolute prohibition for the state. Under
this banner we are yet fighting There are many
hall ktxc& e 1,e,1l
regulate the liquor traffic. They unconsciousy
join hands with the traffic and propose high
license. They will get over that Let US
ssrsngthen the little that re remains
of the enemy. Let US 60 with them to
the forks of the road. at least. When they fully
realize that the liquor sellers are unit for high
license if they can't get low licenss.
they will take the prohibition fork as
be the nosiest if not the most consistent of the
entire prohibition army The !ocal-option craze
in any other sense than as step towards prohi-
blion is nothing more or less than cons picuous
exhibition of that common weakness of our frail
humanity which says if / and nv wife, my son
, vohn and his wife are snug and warm it matters
not who are out in the cold. But the great tenn
perance army Is keeping step only to the music
OF prohibition which shall be as broad as the
acres over which the star spangled banner
waves We may not reach it this year. nor the
. next, nor the next, but we will reach it, To-day
we survey the field. In most places the enemy
is yet in possession. but in every place he is dis
, turbed We recount with great exultation the
battle of last year in Indiana in which the ae-
greeate vote of our ununlted strength outnum-
hered thevote for the saloon by more than IL,
600, and which resulted in the decisive vote of
ifty-eight to forty two in the House of Repre-
sentatives this winter. Under wiser leadership,
, and when our strength shall be ntrated, the
. popular ma ority will be 30 ,000 and both houses
of the Legislature will be for u.s."
, paper was read by the secretary from Cutler
; s. Dobbins, who could not be present to speak,
, on obstacles to Temperance Reform" and MIR.
Hull of Hendricks county, spoke on What
{ Should De Done to Advance the Temperance
; Cause" Mr. Hulls speech was stirring one,
. and received much applause.
: Rev. T. A. Good win moved that all persons
! over seventy years old who desired TO be made
i members of the organization be admitted with
, out initiation fee, or payment of dues, and
, named the venerable Dr. Ryland 7. Brown to
! head the list The motion carried, and Dr.
Brown was duly received into membership. He
made brief speech in which he said that he
, was nearly eighty years DID, and that If he lived
. twenty days longer he would have battled in the
temperance cause sixty years.
At the evening session of the convention there
: were present about fifty gentlemen and four
: ladies' S. B. Reynolds. who was to have spoken
= in the morning, was present, and delivered a
short address on 1.-THE Watchword for the
; Hour" Many people. he said. argued that the
a temperance question should be drawn from pub
lie discussion. During the recent session of the
f Legislature he had encountered men with such
4 views But the question will not be withdrawn
a from public discussion until there is complete
overthrow OF the liquor traffic in this country.
!, Reforms never go backward. but forward. I,
y is sometimes necessary to compromise some, but
v the main question should always be kept in
view. Before the final overthrow OF slavery i,
was found necessary to make many compro
s misses, but the advocates for freedom kept
: steadily In view the paramount object. and did
1t not waver until it gained; SO it should be
9 with the friends of temperance.
@ CAPTAIN Ell F. Rutter of this city. also spoke
d briefly on what had been accomplished in the
If past, and gave some suggestions for carrying or
% the work in the future. There were quite a mum